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£1bn for defence spending

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The Conservative-run Nottinghamshire County Council welcomed the additional spending for the DNRC, which opened by Prince William in June.

The leader of the council, Councillor Kay Cutts, who represents the Radcliffe-on-Trent ward, said: “I was delighted to learn the Government is to commit up to £70 million towards the civilian element of the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre at the Stanford Hall Estate. Not only will this benefit the users of this facility from around the country, it will also have a positive impact on Nottinghamshire’s economy.

“There is no doubt that this is a world-leading facility and it is excellent to learn in the Chancellor’s budget that plans are progressing to incorporate rehabilitation for civilian patients.

“I know from my tour of the facilities that the centre also brings opportunities for research and training, which means the DNRC will put Nottinghamshire at the forefront of rehabilitation, making our county a national hub for expertise in this area and potentially providing significant spin-off benefits for local patients, our hospitals and other health services.”

But Nottingham City Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Graham Chapman, who represents the Aspley ward for Labour, was more critical of the budget.

He said: “It seems that the Chancellor has been unable to deliver on the Prime Minister’s promise that austerity is ending. Local people are unlikely to feel much benefit from this budget, and the cuts to council funding which impact on them remain entirely unaffected.

“Any additional money for adult social care is welcome of course, but it is not nearly enough and not the way to properly fund this crucial service. Money for potholes is an easy win for Government, but the way they hand it out favours rural areas so we don’t expect it to be enough to fix the problem in Nottingham.

“The lifting of the housing cap is something we have been calling for and is very welcome – but there is still no help from Government to address the fact that the number of homes we can build will be limited by the upfront costs not being recouped for many years. We also need assurances that Government will change the rules on right to buy.

“This was an opportunity to invest in growth, infrastructure, jobs and training and to rebalance the economy north of Birmingham. Although there are some helpful bits that are welcome, they remain just bits and are inadequate to meet the needs of people in Nottingham and the wider economy.”

Ian Baxter is the chairman of Baxter Freight, a logistics firm which employs more than 60 staff from its Nottingham headquarters.

He said: “What we have learned from the Chancellor’s Budget announcement is that he really isn’t planning on a no deal Brexit which may be the biggest thing to cheer of all his announcements.

“Nor does the Government have an adequate plan to deal with the directly foreseeable consequences of leaving the Customs Union whether in March or at the end of a transition period.

“Let me be clear: both of these scenarios would have significant and negative consequences for British business and the Public Finances. If the Government believes there is any real prospect of either happening then we will need a plan to deal with them.

“If we were to end up with a ‘no deal’ Brexit this would require a completely new Budget announcement and economic forecast from the Government. Today’s £500m no deal funding, £2.2billion Brexit funding or £15 billion Brexit contingency would not touch the sides of the problem.”

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